Stuck in a Loop
by girlwiththeblackinkpen
Summary: One half of his mind offers an answer, but the other half is only screaming, "WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!" Now a one-shot collection.
1. Stuck in a Loop

Wally's legs are throbbing as he comes back to consciousness. His head is buzzing, and the coldness of the surface beneath him isn't helping anything. Soft hands are gently tapping his cheek, whispering his name, but with each instance the voice grows louder and louder.

"….Kid?...KF!" the voice says. Wally can determine it's a female, and the soft hands again taps his cheek.

He manages to open his eyes, letting out a groan, "…..What happened?"

The girl peers at him curiously, her eyebrows furrowed with concern, "It's okay, I think. You stumbled through the zeta tube, running a million miles an hour, and then you tripped on the couch and face-planted in the middle of the living room."

Wally remembers a blinding light and running fast and then tripping, but he feels like the memory isn't his own. Like it was somebody else who did that, and not him.

"…Kid Flash?" the girl asks, her voice soft but persistent.

What was her name? His mind offers _Megan_ but it just doesn't feel _right_. He tries to match the face to the name. Megan. She's got auburn hair, and warm brown eyes, and freckles dusting her nose. Her most noticeable feature is her skin. Which is green like grass.

Megan. Megan. M'gann? Wally's mind offers the fact that she's a Martian. He feels a strange and foreboding sense of déjà vu. M'gann is a Martian name, right?

"I'm fine, M'gann," Wally says quietly, getting up and dusting his pants off.

M'gann's eyes widen, "Who told you my civilian identity name?"

_Connor. Connor told you._ His mind offers again.

"…Erm, Connor told me," Wally says.

M'gann's eyes narrow minutely, "Superboy," she corrects, and her hands are rubbing against each other nervously.

Wally's mind is screaming, WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

"Kid Flash," M'gann says, "Are you sure your okay? I can get Black Canary to look at you, maybe you have a concussion or something…."

Wally shakes his head, "Listen, I think I'm just going to go lay down."

His feet carry him to a room that he half recognizes. The door opens with a hiss, and it looks mostly bare. A desk is pushed against the wall in the corner, and a long set of empty shelves line the walls. For some reason, he feels like the shelves shouldn't be empty.

He lays on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to recollect and sort his thoughts.

There's a huge gaping hole right before he stumbled through the zeta tube. He remembers a lot of snow. Cold. Saying goodbye. A man's pained shout. The memories before that are more or less so clear.

His mind right now can be categorized into two parts. One which is offering all the answers, all his memories, and the other half which is screaming that everything is wrong. Well, not everything, but most things. The other half is contradicting every thing it's opponent says. Like before with Megan.

His mind offering the answers says her name is Megan. The other half agreed with that. It says her name is also M'gann and a Martian. The other half agrees. But as soon as M'gann refused to use any civilian names, his other half screamed and shouted and fought and thrashed. However, both sides agreed whatever was going on, it's best not to tell anyone. Because he's observant, and he can tell that if he mentions his fears he'll be subjected to probing and uncomfortable questioning.

He decides that he'll sort through his 'memories' and see what he knows is fact.

His name is Wallace Rudolph West. He is fifteen. He lives with his mother and father. His uncle, Barry Allen, is the Flash. He is a superhero by the identity of Kid Flash. He is on a covert operations team with a Martian, a clone of Superman, an Atlantian, and his best friend who is Batman's sidekick.

The door hisses open, and started, he sits up.

"Um, is this your room? Because Batman said this is _my_ room."

No. Wrong. This is _his_ room.

A girl steps in, her arms holding up three heavy boxes. She sets them down, pushing them against the wall. She's a pretty blonde, with a delicately-shaped mouth and eyes, and an attractive, high-bridged nose. Her lips are set into a quizzical expression. Her eyes are a sharp, and keen silver, and her arms are crossed defiantly over her chest. Her hair is short, the tips barely brushing her shoulders.

His other half is screaming again. Her hair. It's all wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

"Who are you?" Wally manages to splutter through his mess of jumbled thoughts.

"Artemis. Your new team mate and resident archer," she says, sticking her hand out. Her voice is husky and Wally finds himself wanting to hear her talk some more.

He takes her hand, shaking it, but as his skin brushes against hers, a jolt runs up his arm and through his body. A vision strikes him.

_He sits on the couch, rubbing a dog's brown, soft fur as the sound of somebody cluttering pots and pans was heard from the kitchen. The person's padding footsteps are heard gently sounding on the carpet, and in the doorway appears a woman with wavy blond hair reaching past her shoulder and a sultry smile on her face._

_ "Hey, Wally," she says, "You want some pasta?"_

_ "You know it, Arty," Wally replies back, getting up, and then gently kissing her cheek._

_ 'Arty' pushes his face away, scowling but still with laughter apparent in his eyes, "Don't call me that, _Wallace."

_"Come on, Arty," Wally whines, stealing another kiss._

Oh, god.

"…Hey, are you okay?" Artemis's voice sounds, shaking him out of his vision.

Wally backs up suddenly. Artemis is just the older version of this Arty person.

"…Arty," Wally whispers, not realizing he had said anything until he said it, and his eyes widen, embarrassed.

Artemis's eyes narrow, "Don't call me that. God, I hate that nickname."

He needs to get back. This isn't right, it's wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

And for once, it agrees with his other half for once.

And then, he's falling down. Down, down, down, down. Down.

He's never been so afraid in his life. But now his other half is screaming yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

**oOoOoOo**

_"Kid Flash. B03."_

"_The Wallman is here! Now let's get this party start-"_

Why is he carrying all this beach stuff? He trips, falling flat on his face.

"…-ed?"

"Wallman, huh?" a voice says dryly above him, "_Love _the uniform. What exactly are your powers?"

Same eyes. Same lips. But the hair now falls gracefully from it's elegant ponytail past her waist.

Déjà vu. All over again. And his head hurts, and Miss Martian and Rob and Aqualad and Superboy are all smirking at him and laughing, and she's just so familiar.

It hurts. Oh god. It hurts. It feels like his brain is expanding and pounding and he feels the blood rush to his ears.

"Uh," he stutters, getting up, "Who's this?"

"Artemis. Your new team mate."

And so it begins again.

**oOoOoOo**

On New Years, when he finally works up the courage to kiss her, he remembers everything. Like, _everything_ everything.

He doesn't tell her. Tell her what's to come. But the universe has given him a second chance, and he pretty sure he's not going to waste it this time. He calls her Arty now and then. Not to piss her off, but he holds onto those memories and the memories of their future together tightly. He takes cautionary steps so they won't be ripped apart like last time.

Artemis can tell. She can always tell. She sees the wizened look in his eyes that is well beyond his years, but she doesn't press him.

Some things stay the same. They both still get accepted to Stanford. Their little flat in Palo Alto is still bought with their painstakingly meticulously hard-earned money. Dick becomes Nightwing. Jade and Roy elope. Lian is born. But the Reach never invades the Earth. The Light is shut down. They find Nelson again, a stray wandering about the park next to their house.

But some things are different. They never hang up the masks. Artemis adopts the mantle 'Huntress,' and Wally becomes the Flash. Bart's incessant talking and spoiler alerts never grace Artemis-of-Wally's-second-chance's ears. Tula doesn't die. Jason Todd doesn't die, but becomes Red Hood, who seems to have become a wandering non-official vigilante who frequently hops between the blurry line of good and evil.

And he wonders, if, without Artemis, maybe he's been stuck in a loop this whole time, just waiting for somebody to pull him out. Because now, the pattern's broken.

And both sides of his mind are quiet, content.

**A/N: Don't really like the ending. So, I've lost my inspiration for about everything. I threw a tantrum when Blue Beetle was all, "he will cease." I chucked my remote at the T.V., and then proceeded to crawl into my bed and cry. If the show had one more episode, this is what I want. Because there was little closure. Miss Martian and Superboy didn't even kiss.**

**Anyways. 'Endgame' really shook me out of my happy little world where none of the heroes would die and they would all be happy.**

**There. All done. I hoped you liked it.**


	2. Hoist the Colors High

**Title: Hoist the Colors High**

**Rating: K+/T**

**Previous Background Knowledge needed: Chapter 1 [but not necessary to understand]**

**Genre: Family/Romance**

**Inspiration: Hoist the Colors High from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End**

**NOTE: Author Note, review answers, and thanks at the bottom of the page.**

**...**

_**Yo ho, haul together.**_

…

The streets of Gotham squirm underneath Artemis's soft, graceful foot steps. It lays under the pall of a dirty, thick layer of yellowish smog, the cover of darkness only allowing more creepy crawlies to emerge. Raucous laughter, the clink of bottles, the sounds of people having a bit _too_ much fun. Shady men, women with painted faces and leering smiles populate every corner of this town. But she takes a deep, deep breath, because, it's clean and it's everything she is. A couple strong, persistent stars glimmer in the sky, but the night sky is, with few exceptions, just an expanse of black inkiness. It's nearly twenty-six minutes past minute, meaning that it is only seven hours and fifty-four minutes until her patrol end. Great. And unless something big, and when Batman had explained the protocols for patrols, he made it quite clear it had to be something _big_ there was no way she's going to be squirming out of this early.

A cold wind whistles through Artemis's hair, and she shivers, because, in reality, Gotham's usually hot and muggy and she's adapted. Adapt or die, that had been Jade's motto. She rolls her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension built up there, and she groans a little appreciatively when she hears the satisfying '_pop'_. She clucks her tongue softly, because really, she's seen little of anything unusual tonight, but she just expects that's because the Dynamic Duo have taken anything really worth not leaving for the police. She hums a show tune. _….Tomorrow!...Tomorrow!...I love ya' tomorrow!...It's only a day away!..._ She takes a few practice shots. The arrow, one of her regulars, because those are easy to retrieve and she treasures each of her trick arrows like they're infants, is embedded deep into the splintering wood of an old crate.

However, as she struggles to pull out the arrow, she hears someone chuckle dryly behind her. She spins around, startled, and she's startled to realize that she's staring into Dick's domino mask.

"…Can I help you, Nightwing?" Artemis asks tersely, now pouring her angry embarrassment into yanking her arrow free, which now comes out with three or four quick tugs. She drops it into her quiver.

"Just wondering if you were up for some partner work," Nightwing says, smiling cheekily.

Artemis raises an eyebrow, "What happened to the Dynamic Duo? You know, Batman and Boy Wonder?"

Nightwing shrugs, "Batsy is taking Robin out for a ride. Besides, I'm not associated with him anymore."

The way he says things makes Artemis laugh, because Dick and Bruce are the two most paranoid people alive, and the way they tiptoe around secret identities is absolutely hilarious. Artemis can see the frustration, and she nods to show she gets it. What he means is, _"Bruce is taking Tim out to patrol for the first time. Besides, I'm not his sidekick anymore." _

He seems a little downtrodden by the fact that he is so easily replaceable, and Artemis suddenly feels a pang of guilt for replacing Roy, all those years ago. So, she nods again, to show she's up to them patrolling together for the rest of the night, because even she knows that Boy Wonder makes everything exciting. Dick beams brightly, and then reaches out and grabs Artemis's hand and begins to drag her off the rooftop she'd been occupying.

They meet Selina slinking about the city, looking, like always, suspiciously up to no good. They exchange greetings. Dick teases her about Bruce, Selina teases Artemis about Wally, and Artemis just laughs at the both of them, who seem so much like mother and grown-up , they spot the Dark Knight himself, seeing Robin II jumping around excitedly behind him. Bruce nods at them. Tim waves. Artemis laughs.

And, soon enough, the eight hours are up, and Artemis is walking slowly to the abandoned phone booth to Zeta back to her's and Wally's apartment back in Central.

Dick waves at her before she steps through the blinding lights, and he grins that same cheeky smile which is reminiscent of the days before Dick hit puberty. And she waves back and smiles the same way back because she knows that he feels like he's thirteen again, and she feels like she's fifteen again, and it feels good.

…

_**Hoist the colors, high.**_

…

Artemis watches as M'gann slowly sets a mug of coffee in front of her, the steam and vapor rising from the cup in soft waves. M'gann then turns back to her canvas, her pencil scratching the surface of the rough fabric. She'd taken up painting and sketching recently, and M'gann had offered to paint her something for Wally's birthday, and she'd consented because some of the art she turned out with was really quite beautiful.

"So, what are you drawing?" Artemis says, licking the excess off the rim of the mug, the bitterness of the taste refreshing against her tongue.

M'gann is silent for a few second, finishing up a few strokes before replying, "_This._"

She gently hands Artemis a photograph, and Artemis has to blink a couple of times when she sees it because the memory feels so long ago and time so long distant. A grinning, eighteen year-old Wally was embracing a shyly smiling seventeen-year old Artemis as they stand on the shore of the beach outside Mount Justice. The water is frozen in time as it had been lapping onto shore, and a passing seagull had also been included into the picture.

Her hands quiver as she looks at, "Oh, Megan, it's going to be _amazing._"

M'gann beams at the use of her nickname, because she'd learned long ago that Artemis calls her 'Megan' when she was feeling particularly close with her Martian 'sister'. M'gann then begins to sweep up her pencils in one fluid motion, dropping them up into the old, chipped mug that she uses to store her sketching pencils. She then pulls out her acrylic paints and a palette. She gets up, heading to the bathroom and retrieving her paintbrush rag and a plastic cup to fill with water to rinse her brush. She scoops up a random assortment of brush, and then gently lays them out side by side by each other, meticulously straightening them.

She carefully squeezes out measured amounts paint, carefully swirling them and mixing them.

Artemis and her chats idly about this and that, Connor and his weird tastes in food, Wally and his horrible cleaning habits, the latest gossip on Bruce and Selina (they seem to be the new it-couple within the Justice League, narrowly beating out Superman and Wonder Woman, and Black Canary and Green Arrow), and also the recent engagement of Dick and Zatanna. Who knew the little troll would get married before any of the others.

When the painting is finished, Megan carefully sets it against the window to dry. She wraps it in red and yellow tissue paper, tying a simple, artistic brown string around the canvas. When Wally opens the package, Wally laughs and his face lights up. The painting was a blend of soft browns and vibrant reds and greens and blues and Wally's touch had lingered on the eyes of both of them pictured in the painting, because Megan had made sure to paint them a vibrant jade and a steely, confident silver, for Wally and Artemis, respectively.

Artemis hangs it in a place of honor above the mantle on the fireplace, and everyone coos and oohs, and ahs at it when their eyes fall upon it.

…

_**Heave, ho**_

…

"Where do you want these boxes?" Connor asks. He's easily hefting up a stack of three boxes, one in his left hand and two in his right. His face is stoic, expressionless as he holds up the box a little higher for emphasis.

"Erm…" Artemis says, looking around the room absentmindedly, "Just give them to me."

Connor unceremoniously drops them in her arms, but her knees nearly buckle from the weight. She curses under her breath as one of the boxes tumble to the ground and the fragile computer stuff that had been in the box tumbles out.

Wally pokes his head in from their future kitchen, "You okay, babe?"

"Yeah," Artemis says, waving him off from her uncomfortable position from the floor, hastily shoving some of the wires and chargers and computer parts haphazardly into a box. Connor kneels down too, his hand moving to gently place the scrap metal that Wally tends to play with when he's bored.

Artemis gently chuckles softly to herself when she can recall a time so long ago when he wouldn't have been able to handle something so delicate.

"What?" Connor asks in his usual, blunt tone.

Artemis shakes her head dismissively, "Just remembering something."

Connor raises an eyebrow at her, silently telling her that he wants to know, "Don't make me call Megan."

Artemis snorts, but concede, "Just remembering how you used to not be able to control your super strength."

Artemis recalled one incident involving cake batter, broken eggs, and a very angered Black Canary yelling at Connor, M'gann, Artemis, Dick, and Wally for starting a food fight when they were supposed to be baking a cake for Kaldur's birthday. It had started with Connor accidently breaking an egg, and wiping it unceremoniously into Dick's hair. Things escalated, leading to an all out egg war in the Cave's kitchen. Needless to say, Black Canary ended up stopping by a Ralph's to buy a dozen cupcakes instead.

She hears a clatter in the kitchen, and she rolls her eyes, getting up. Connor follows, muttering under his breath, "Psh, and you guys call _me _clumsy."

Artemis laughs again when she hears that, because it's kinda sort of true that nowadays Wally's a lot more of a klutz than he used to be, something she suspects attests to the fact that he's worried about Roy, but then again, they're all worried about Roy.

They find Wally on his butt on the floor, rubbing his elbow with an expression of pain on his face.

"What happened?" Artemis asks, amused.

Wally pouts as Connor shoves him up by the arm pit deftly, "I fell."

"No kidding, Wall-man," Artemis says, rolling her eyes.

Connor laughs, but retreats back into the living room.

Artemis pats Wally gently on the back before following Connor out. Connor has picked back up the fallen boxes, staring at her expectantly. But Artemis sees a little something, a look of hurt in his eyes from before, and she sighs as she points to the corner of the room.

And as Connor moves to go back to the van to get more boxes, Artemis stops him.

"I didn't mean it like that, Connor," Artemis says.

Connor raises an eyebrow.

"I meant you've grown up a lot."

…

_**Thieves and beggars**_

…

"It seems to me that we're both criminals now," Kaldur says, taking a long sip of tea from the mug he was holding.

Artemis snorts, and nods her agreement, "I'm pretty sure they want me back, though."

Kaldur raises an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Well, I don't know about _you_, Kaldur, but," Artemis says, sighing dramatically, "The Team – and Wally, can't function without me."

Kaldur chuckles, "Because they cannot function without a sarcastic, snarky, wise-cracking archer?"

Artemis fluffs her hair airily, "In short, yes."

Kaldur laughs now, his warm, deep vibrations intermixing with Artemis's husky, sweet punctuations of joy. The past six months for them have been spent undercover, playing the part of semi-trustworthy vigilantes who frequently test the boundaries of good and evil. To infiltrate the Light, to finish off Savage at last. Dick's complicated scheme was an interlocking web of lies and deceit and acting. The only people who knew for sure which 'side' Artemis and Kaldur fought for were the three of them and Wally.

They're in a war, right now, both of them know this, but it felt nice to just be the two of them for a night. Evil rarely ever provides a 'break' such as this for heroes. Not Black Manta's son and Tigress, but Kaldur and Artemis.

But then, she realizes, Kaldur's right. She knows that when she gets back – _if_ she gets back – the same level of trust won't be there. They've given up everything to bring down the Light. Savage. Payback for Tula. And at the center of it all is Dick, attempting to control everything.

"…You're right, though," Artemis says darkly, and takes a sip of tea to allow the thought, or her realization, for that matter, to sink in.

Kaldur doesn't offer his usual words of wisdom, only muttering a terse, "I know, but they will forgive us in time."

This time Artemis knew he wasn't talking about the whole extended Team. Meaning Cassie and Tim and Garfield and Lagoon Boy and Arsenal. No. He was talking about the originals. The sidekicks, the kids who wanted just to prove that they were up to task. Dick, Wally, Megan, Connor, Artemis, and Kaldur. The original six. Sometimes, in Artemis's mind, Zatanna, Roy-the-clone, and Raquel join the 'original six' as Artemis had dubbed them, but at the end of the day, it simplifies to them. The six.

Kaldur and Artemis had bonded over the experience of being undercover. Bad dads, absent mothers, yet they'd still risen above it all.

And she couldn't wait 'til the day that she could go back and kiss Wally and not see that look of disdain in the younger member's eyes, like they're better than her. Because they don't understand that underneath the cover of being a thief, and a criminal, and a beggar, she's a hero. She's given up everything for this life.

"…But, I think it would be safe to say that it is worth the safety of the human race, correct?" Kaldur says meekly.

And Artemis turns to him and laughs. And he laughs as well, and then the whole room is swelling with the sound of their laugh. The sound of their juvenile giggling curls forward and fills their ears. Just Kaldur and Artemis.

…

_**Never shall we die.**_

…

"It's over," Artemis whispers softly in his ear as he presses light kisses on her neck, like he's afraid that if he actually satisfies himself she'll disappear.

Wally turns over, dragging her waist closer to his body. She'd lost a lot of weight while undercover as Tigress, and her thin frame is cold against his own warm body. His muscular arms – which Artemis _loves – _are wrapped tightly around her slim waist. Wally kisses her cheek again gently before retreating, his nose pressed into her hair.

She had missed him.

Wally's hand is gently rubbing small circles into the her skin. Soft and reassuring, lazy circles that made her want to melt. Wally smelled, like always, a mix of cologne and the beach and parchment paper. Artemis proceeded to bury her face into his neck, inhaling deeply. She had stolen one of Wally's Flash t-shirts, and it was huge and it hang past her thighs.

"I'm so happy you're back, babe," Wally whispers.

"So, this calls for celebration, doesn't it?" Artemis whispers back.

Wally grins, "What kind of pizza do you want?"

About twenty-thirty minutes later, they're sitting around their chipped coffee table, eating greasy cheese pizza, and sipping Coca-Cola out of champagne glasses because all their cups are in the dishwasher.

"Do you maybe wanna get married?" Wally suddenly asks.

Artemis nearly chokes on her pizza, "What?" and then she dissolves into a coughing fit.

Wally looks disdainfully down at her as she collapses onto the floor, "You don't have to be surprised. You could've at least _pretended_ you knew it was coming."

Artemis laughs at the childish pout on his face, and she pecks him lightly on the face, "How soon?"

Wally shrugs, "I mean, I know you don't want anything _big_ but we both know that my mom and M'gann have been planning since New Years'."

Artemis snorts, "And we all know that Green Arrow will flip if another one of his protégés gets married without him getting a wedding invitation."

Wally nods, and then grimly states, "And we both know how much Dick wants to be the matron of honor."

Artemis snickers at this, and then takes another long swig of Coke. She says slowly and quietly, "Sure, Wally. If only to please the masses."

So, it's decided they will get married. If only to please their extended family. They spend the rest of the night holding each other, wide awake.

And Artemis knows that she'll regret staying up all night, but Wally keeps saying in her ear every six and a half minutes, "How are you doing, fiancé?" And then Artemis will laugh and then Wally will kiss her and then they dissolve into a sort of content silence.

Artemis is _engaged._

…

It's decided that their wedding day will be in the middle of fall, the date not yet decided yet, so that gives them three months to decide for sure everything that they'll be doing.

When they announce the news at the Cave, they quickly find out that they don't really need three months, which is immediately found out when M'gann squeals and rushes to her bedroom, and after thirty minutes emerges with a thick, dust-covered binder and slams it ceremoniously onto the table.

M'gann immediately begins flipping through the pages, her eyes glowing as she flips through each page of gloss-covered wedding dresses and types of flowers and the best food choices and locations as she remembers putting together the binder with Zatanna and Raquel during a random girls night and then showing it to a sullen Artemis who had stubbornly tried to deny that she and Wally would _not_ be getting married – and she added after each protest, _if_ they got married – while Artemis was wearing that god-forsaken poufy white dress that had lace everywhere and a veil and those horrible pink roses Zatanna seemed hell-bent on putting _everywhere._

In the end, their ceremony is unique in the way that Artemis and Wally are together.

Dick is not the matron of honor, but there was no 'matron of honor'… or maid of honor. Or best man. The location is the Garrick's farm, and a magnificent picnic is held. Green Arrow was apparently ordained as a minister, and completes the ceremony.

Artemis wears a jade green spring dress that hangs above her knees and is pinched on the shoulders. The waist is hemmed in, and, per-Zatanna's persistant request, she sports a small pink rose blossom behind her ear. Wally wears a white t-shirt and some plain old jeans. And Artemis couldn't have wanted or expected more.

Dick stands up abruptly after the ceremony, when they've broken out the sandwiches, and says loudly, "We have a couple words we'd like to say."

Standing up behind him is Kaldur, Megan, and Connor.

Artemis and Wally lean against each other in anticipation.

Dick has everybody's attention, and he takes a deep drink of the drink in his hand before beginning, "…So. The day's finally here," the ring glints on Artemis's ring finger, "Jesus Christ. Just so all the single men out there know, you guys are all shamed now, because you even if you get a girl, you will still be the guy who got a girl _after _Wally West."

Wally boos. Artemis laughs.

"…Anyways. So, I practically was there for the whole entire relationship, like, from the hate to everybody knowing that they're going to get together to them _finally _getting together," Dick continues.

Wally and Artemis make matching indignant noises at the middle part, but Dick waves at them dismissively, "Shut up you two, we all know it's true and you know it."

Everybody laughs.

"Anyways, I'll miss trying to dissuade Artemis from getting in any deeper with this guy, and making fun of Wally freaking out over the littlest things with her because now, they're in it for the long run. Congratulations you guys," Dick says, toasting them and then sitting down.

Artemis and Wally smile appreciatively, and Dick nods at them.

Megan comes forward next, and she clears her throat with a graceful little _ahem_ and then she begins her speech, "So. Wally and Artemis. Can I say now that, I told you so? Because I did. Multiple times. And you didn't believe me. So, hah."

Artemis laughs because she can recall numerous times when Megan had prodded her to make a move on the red-headed speedster before they had been dating, and Megan's got this triumphant little smile on her face right now.

"So, I hope you guys will be happy together forever, now," Megan says, and Artemis can see she's starting to get a little teary-ed.

And then she sits and Connor steps up.

"Wally, Artemis," Connor says in his usual quiet, low voice, "You guys were literally there for all my life. You guys have been such great friends and I'm really happy that you guys are together now, and that you've promised you will be together forever. I'm proud of you guys. Because, truthfully, I thought Wally would never work up the courage and that Artemis would be too stubborn, but, I guess, life will always eventually give you what you deserve. I'm happy for you guys. Congrats."

Kaldur's up now, and he smiles at everyone for a moment before beginning, "Friends, family, I'm so happy that these two are married. Because, now, we may shift our focus to getting Bruce and Selina married."

Scattered laughter, a dirty look from the Dark Knight. Selina just throws back her head and laughs.

"I have seen you two at your worsts, and at your best, and this is certainly one of your bests," Kaldur remarks, "As the others have said, I hope you guys are happy together, and that'll you'll never stop fighting. Because you guys are hysterical when you fight."

Artemis wrinkles her nose at this, but nods, and Wally elbows her gently, grinning.

"Congratulations," Kaldur finishes, and then he sits down as well.

Wally and Artemis kiss.

_Artemis West._

Has a nice ring to it.

**A/N: This one was written in a little bit of a hurry, and I'm afraid to proofread it, so I'll just publish as it is. A songfic, I guess, to the song from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, "Hoist the Colors High." Sweet song, take a listen.**

**So, this is an AU story, in which the Reach never attacks, and the Light is main priority for the Justice League and Young Justice. In short, pretty much agrees with the earlier chapter, "Stuck in a Loop."**

**I've decided that this will be a multi-chaptered fic that will follow the AU of the first chapter, namely, Wally coming back after dying as his fifteen year-old-self. If any chapters are connected, I'll put what chapters you'll need to read beforehand. Basically, the title heads will follow the format at the top of the story, if you're confused.**

**Review replies:**

**Rachael [Guest] : **_(Preaching to the Choir Girl!Keep up the good work!) _Thank you so much for reviewing! And I'm so glad you liked it. I hope you get to see this! I appreciate the review!

**Kyogre: **_(I'm confused. : I get that there's a loop, but why is Artemis's hair short in one iteration. For that matter, which iteration was is?) _So, I P.M.'ed you too, but I reread your question, and I understand what you're asking a bit better… Er, so the iteration with Artemis's hair short wasn't quite a iteration, more like… think of it as different plane of existence. As I said before, the hair was to press the point of everything being different in that plan. Erm, the last question I don't understand quite what you mean, but if I was to go into more detail, him falling 'down down down' would be him going back to his old plane of existence. He's 'stuck in a loop' because he was transported back as a seventeen year old, instead of just continuing on where he left off.

**Thank you too: Cowgrl94, coolgal13, naturegirl11432, and naturegirl11432 for favoriting and alerting.**

…**. And thanks to Johnny Depp, for going, "**_**I've got a jar of di-rt! I've got a jar of di-rt!"**_


	3. Time is All Around

**Summary: 5 moments leading up to** _it._

…

"… _**Leaves become most beautiful when they're about to die. When they're about to fall from trees, when they're about to dry up…"**_

**Regina Spektor, **_**Time is All Around**_

…

**5.**

Artemis leans her head back against Wally's wide chest, smiling contently as he settles his arms around her. Wally continues his channel-surfing, flicking past the news channels and all the kids TV shows. He settles on Toy Story, and Artemis turns, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Immature much, Baywatch?" Artemis says wryly. Wally sticks his tongue out at her, grinning.

"Come on, babe," Wally whines, tickling her gently, "This is a classic."

Artemis lets out a dramatic sigh as she turns back to the screen, settling back contently as she watches Andy in a red cowboy hat zoom around his room with Buzz and Woody. Nelson pads over to where they're sitting, settling himself down at their feet.

When the commercials start, Wally places a chaste kiss on her cheek, and Artemis glares at him jokingly, "I'm trying to watch, Wally."

Wally laughs and kisses her on the nose, and Artemis smiles in spite of herself. Nelson whines in jealously, and they both laugh.

**4.**

Wally is exhausted. His hair is plastered to his forehead by sweat, and mud is all over his suit and on the side of his face. He immediately enters the shower, dropping his cowl on the floor.

Wally emerges from the shower feeling much better and he pulls on a t-shirt and some sweats and makes his way to the kitchen for some food.

"Where were you?" a voice says suddenly, startling him.

Wally turns to the couch, seeing Artemis glaring up at him from the couch, her arms crossed. Her hair is tied up in a bun, dressed down in one of Wally's STANDFORD t-shirts that falls past her thighs.

Wally smiles guiltily, "I was out patrolling with Bart."

Artemis stands up, and promptly whacks him on the back of the head. A slight injection of hurt has entered her eyes, and she narrows them angrily.

"Ow…" Wally says, rubbing his head, he grins slightly, hoping to ease the tension, "Hurts so good."

"You lied to me!" Artemis shrieks, not amused, "You told me you were going out with Dick and Bart for _burgers."_

"Well… That's what we did at first. But then both of them got called in for a robbery and I tagged along," Wally explains, "And things escalated… and we ended up patrolling for three more hours."

Artemis glares at him, her lips drawn together in a tight line.

"Arty…"

Artemis stalks into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Wally trails behind her like a lost puppy, "Artemis….."

He tries to open the door but it's locked, and he knocks on the door, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Artemis."

**3.**

"You know, every time I come over I feel like we're back at the Cave and you guys are making out and I'm trying to play Mario Kart by myself," Dick says as he sips the coffee Artemis had set in front of him.

Wally's arm is set comfortably around Artemis's shoulders, her leg seemingly glued to his. Dick still can't over this new touchy-feely Artemis, or this new emotionally competent Wally, even if they've been together for nearly five years.

Dick can still remember the days when Artemis and Wally's relationship consisted of hateful glares and loud arguments across the Cave.

Artemis and Wally laugh, and Artemis seems to settle deeper into Wally's embrace.

Dick coughs, embarrassed.

Artemis and Wally share a look before nodding at each other and smiling broadly and suspiciously at Dick.

Wally presses his nose into Artemis's neck, and Artemis lets out a loud, very un-Artemis like giggle.

Dick cringes, "You guys are disgusting."

Artemis and Wally are too busy making out to answer him, and Dick gets up, grabs his jacket and slams the door behind him, but before putting his middle finger in the air behind him as he stalks out of the room, a loud proclamation of, "PDA!"

**2.**

"It's your night to make dinner," Artemis says, not looking up from the magazine.

Wally groans, dropping his backpack and his laptop by the door by the coffee table, and face-planting onto the couch.

"Are you trying to plank?" Artemis asks, glaring at him from over the latest issues of _Guns and Ammo_, "That went out of style about five years ago."

Wally murmurs something which is muffled by the couch cushion. Artemis promptly smacks him with the magazine.

"Get up, doofus," Artemis says playfully, and Wally pulls his head up, groaning.

Artemis plops down next to Wally, gently kissing his cheek, "I'm hungry, so get cooking."

**1.**

"So, why are we here," Dick asks pensively behind his menu, "And why aren't you eating anything?"

Wally looks nervous, fidgeting with his phone and glancing around repeatedly, "I need a favor."

Dick just raises an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Wally places a little velvet box on the table, "I'm thinking of proposing next week."

"Okay, and why do you need my help with that?" Dick asks in a bored tone.

"Well..." Wally says, "Artemis is probably expecting a big event or something so I need your help acquiring this stuff."

"What stuff?" Dick says.

Wally slides over a sheet of paper, and Dick picks it up, perusing it, "Helium, balloons… ice cream cake… what do you need…" Dick squints at the paper momentarily, "two pounds of frozen bacon for?"

"I get even hungrier when I'm nervous," Wally says, shrugging.

"…and the clown suit?" Dick asks.

"Connor's going to wear that when I propose," Wally says, not missing a beat.

Dick seems unfazed by this, "Oh, I see," he pauses, glaring at Wally over the sheet of paper, "I'm not going to wear anything for you."

Wally put his hands together pleadingly, "Just one little Batman costume. Please? For me?"

**0.**

The apartment is empty. The faucet drips onto the dirty, unwashed dishes left precariously in the sink. Artemis's jacket is draped over the couch, and Wally's shoes lay on the floor by the coffee table. Nelson lays asleep on his cushion by the couch, curled up and his stomach rising and falling in accordance with his breathing pattern.

The window is cracked open slightly, the curtains fluttering with the gentle breeze. The bedroom door creaks slightly, and the plants in the bathroom flutter in the wind.

And about 10,000 miles away, at the North Pole, Wally Rudolph West has just ceased.

Nelson lifts his head suddenly, sensing a disturbance, and he lets out a low whine. He cocks his head, confused. Perhaps it was a false alarm.


	4. Who Watches the Watchmen?

**A/N: No edit. No rereading. Just started writing this while watching 'Mona Lisa Smile'. Good movie. I found this quote in _The_**_ Watchmen._ **Amazing book, and it's published by DC comics, which was pretty cool. I hope you enjoy, and ignore the grammatical errors. I didn't proofread this. It was spur of moment, and it was meant to be short, concise, and messy. Enjoy.**

…

**Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?**

_**Who watches the watchmen?**_

**~ Juvenal, **_**Satire VI**_

…

The blood flowing from Artemis's head is thick and red. Full of life. And it's slowly seeping out of her. Wally hurriedly rips a strip of cloth from the shreds hanging off of Artemis's tank top. Her soft lips are set apart slightly, short, shaggy breaths that are intermitted by long, long pauses that make Wally's heart clench with fear every time the pauses occur. He's scared. For her. Because there is a slight chance (well, more than a slight chance, but he's compelling himself not to think on that, it's best to remain calm) that Artemis will die. Her face is growing chalky and pale, and her eyes flicker back and forth in an erotic manner.

The bleeding staunches slightly, but her breathing slows drastically and becomes even more shallow. Wally reaches for his communicator, pressing the emergency signal button in a panicked and harried manner.

_"Wally? What's going on?" _M'gann's voice cuts through the silence, and then her voice fades out with a bit of static.

"…Artemis… " Wally swallows, his throat thick, "She's hurt. She's hurt! I need help!" He manages to choke it out, and he shouts the last few words.

Artemis's eyelids turn blue. Whatever was in that knife the Joker chucked at her must have been poisoned.

_"We're on our way. I'm sending Connor ahead with the medical kit. Our ETA will be about twenty minutes."_

Connor arrives about five minutes later, a large red bag in his hand and worry softening his hard face. Wally cradles Artemis in his arms, and Connor gently pulls her away from him. Wally cries out, distressed when Artemis's head lulls back from gravity, but Connor shoots him a cursory glance, and he falls silent once more.

Connor deftly wraps the head wound, using skilled precision and a soft gentleness that Wally didn't know the clone could possess. He puts the blood-soaked strip of Artemis's shirt that Wally had used earlier on the ground, and Wally picks it up, slightly dazed. Connor picks Artemis up from the ground and she emits a slight groan.

"You're hurting her!" Wally yells, startled by Artemis's emission of sound. Wally runs toward Artemis, gently cradling the curve of her chin in the palm of his hand.

Connor makes a soft sighing noise, but continues walking, "She'll be okay."

Wally doesn't answer, and instead frantically pulls his goggles off to see better and caresses her face.

M'gann soon swoops in in her bio ship, looking distressed and her eyes wide with fear and worry. Dick comes in behind her, his face stoic and pale. Kaldur carries a stretcher, and with Connor's assistance, place Artemis gently onto the stretcher. Dick gently leads Wally into the bio-ship.

On the long, long,

Very long,

Excrutiatingly long,

Painfully long, journey back to the Cave to get Artemis to medical attention, Wally briefly recalls a story Grandpa Jay had once told him about the benefits of hero life.

_"…If you get hurt as you're fighting or helping people," he had said to the bright-eyed Wally,_ _"The spirit of Justice will save you."_

_ "The spirit of Justice?" Wally asked, turning his head in a curious manner._

_ "The spirit of Justice," Jay repeated, "Is the embodiment of everybody who does good for those who deserve it. Fight those who hurt others for their own gain, and if you are a part of the spirit of Justice, then the spirit of Justice will help you."_

_ "What if you've done bad things in the past? Like, one time, I stole a cookie from my cousin," Wally said slowly._

_ "Well, are you sorry now that you stole the cookie?" Jay asked gently._

_ "Yeah, I guess," Wally says, shifting from side to side._

_ "Then the spirit of Justice is with you," Jay said triumphantly._

As Connor and Kaldur carry Artemis into the med bay, Wally gently places a chaste kiss on the corner of her temple. She shifts a little, and Wally mutters a silent to this 'Spirit of Justice.'

**.**

**.**

**.**

Artemis wakes up from her blood-loss induced coma two days after the incident. And Wally thanks the Spirit of Justice or whatever the hell is up there watching over them profusely.

Because the Cave wouldn't be the Cave without Artemis's loud insults ringing off the walls.


End file.
